Harvest Prayers

Prayer of praise and thanks

Leader Creator and sustainer of all, at this harvest season we gather as your
people to offer you our heartfelt thanks and praise.

Voice 1 We praise you for the bounty and variety of your creation,
the succession of the seasons,
the productiveness of the soil,
the harvest of land and sea.

Creating and sustaining God ....:

Response
with wonder in our hearts, we thank you.

Voice 2 Thank you for allowing us to be co-creators with you,
developing new strains of plants and cross-breeding animals,
controlling pests and diseases,
carefully enhancing the fertility of the land,
growing flowers, fruit and vegetables in garden and allotment,
trying out new recipes in the kitchen.

Creating and sustaining God .....

Responsewith wonder in our hearts, we thank you.

Voice 3 We give thanks for all who play their part in producing, harvesting, preparing and distributing
the varied and delicious food that we eat.

Creating and sustaining God ......

Response
with wonder in our hearts, we thank you.

Leader We praise you for feeding us with spiritual as well as material food.
May we learn to live, not on bread alone, but on your every word.
May we be nurtured by Christ the Bread of Life,
and be fruitful branches of Christ the True Vine.
May we offer his lifegiving water to refresh your world.

Creating and sustaining God

Response recreate us in the image of your Son, our Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Prayer for farming, forestry and fishing industry

For farmers, foresters and fishers , their families and communities
and all who depend on them ......
Versicle : Lord, in your mercy,

Response : hear our prayer.

For farmers who struggle to make a living, especially those who are tenants,
and those who have large amounts of debt to service ......

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

For those who maintain high standards of animal husbandry, but are undercut
by unfair competition and have undergone great suffering over the past months,
for livestock hauliers and auctioneers, for vets and agricultural advisers ......

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

For those who are seeking to use agro-chemicals responsibly and adopt eco-friendly practices .......

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For farming families under stress,
for farm women, for the Women's Food and Farming Union and its work
in promoting locally produced food and opportunities for diversification..

For foresters, balancing long term investment and short term economic return,
for the development of sustainable woodland and increased use of coppicing products,
for the use of trees and hedges to improve the micro climate and bio-diversity ......

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For fishing communities adapting to massive change,
for an end to vicious rivalry within the European Community,
for wisdom in implementing policies that will sustain and renew fish stocks
while ensuring the viability of fishing businesses ......

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For restraint and fairness in the use of economic power,
for discernment and a long term view in policy and decision making,
for a love of creation and a high view of human stewardship

Ideas for the Celebration of Harvest Festivalfrom the Arthur Rank Centre

The Earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it...
‘He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to
cultivate – bringing forth food from the earth: wine that
gladdens the heat of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread
that sustains his heart.’ Psalm 104, 14-15

Historically the Church has played a key role in reinforcing the connection between people and the land through Rogation and Harvest Festival. Harvest Festival is second to Christmas as the most popular time for ‘going to church’. Build on this strength and connect with the growing focus among many organisations on the benefits to health and our own economy by the production and consumption of local food.

Among the possibilities you may consider:

Link with other people who may be doing something in British Food Fortnight, e.g. local shops, pubs, farms, markets, restaurants, hotels & schools.

Offer space in church literature, parish magazines, community newsletters for mention of what others are planning or doing and flag worship as being part of the national event.

Add elements to your harvest thanksgiving that will make it even more appealing to those who do not normally come – the young, shop workers, cooks/chefs, food processors, retailers, farmers.

Explore how raw materials turn into the finished product – cooking utensils, shopping trolleys, tasting opportunities as well as a procession of raw materials and finished products.

If others are holding events talk to them and offer a small additional worship element, even just an opening prayer and an easy to sing item.

Arrange a Harvest Supper on a farm with local food and drink, a short act of worship in a barn and finish with a barn dance or similar.

Ensure that any church catering, particularly during this fortnight, uses local food and drink and Fair Trade products.

Contact local organisations that have a meal as part of their life e.g. Schools, Rotary, Lunch Clubs, Old People’s Homes and suggest they organise a special British Food Fortnight meal and offer someone from the church as a speaker.

Examples from previous years

Crick Harvest

Robert Barlow, Rector of Crick, recalls: “In addition to our ordinary services, we held a farm walk and sheep roast. Members of a suburban church from Northampton joined us and together we visited a farm and learnt something of what life is like for those in agriculture today. The sheep roast was washed down with excellent Northamptonshire wine. The event was a great success in building links between suburbs and country as well as between consumers and agriculture.”

Bury-St-Edmunds, Suffolk

Revd Canon Sally Fogden organised two events: “We held a British sausage festival with everyone’s favourite type of sausage provided by local producers and butchers. We served mash made from British potatoes with local cream, salads and some kind people produced puddings. A folk group sang and a farmer who is diversifying as a part-time comic told Suffolk tales – a very popular evening, we shall do it again.”

“Our Harvest Supper is always a good occasion and an opportunity to promote British food and farming. The sermon was about being proud of our farmers. And afterwards we had a feast of wonderful British home-cooked ham, beef, jacket potatoes and salads followed by home made apple pies (British apples of course!).”

Harvest of the Mearns, Aberdeenshire

Laurencekirk, in the heart of rich farming country in the north-east of Scotland, has seen the decline in agriculture break the connection between people and the land. The church ran a local food event on a Saturday reflecting each part of the food chain in the area, with a simple soup and roll lunch provided by the congregation. “Harvest of the Mearns” included fruit and vegetable growers, a grain merchant, whiskey distillery, beef producer, preserve manufacturer and bakery supplier. Over 300 people visited the event and the attendance at Harvest Festival the following day doubled. The Mearns Food Forum, made up of local authority staff and farmers, invited the church to join the group to help support local food initiatives, and a recent local food seminar has brought together local producers and retailers. Demonstrations and tastings were held as part of British Food Fortnight.

Some suggested hymns and songs

All creatures of our God and King (Hymns A & M Revised and most others)
Am I my brother's keeper? (Rejoice and Sing)
And art Thou come with us to dwell (Hymns and Psalms)
Awake, awake to love and work (Hymns and Psalms; Rejoice and Sing)
Christ whose glory fills the skies (most)
Confitemini Domino O give thanks to the Lordfor he is good (Taize)
Creating God, we bring our song of praise (New Start Hymns and Songs)
For the fruits of his creation (Hymns and Psalms; Mission Praise)
For the healing of the nations (most)
God in his love for us lent us this planet (Hymns and Psalms)
Gracious God, in adoration (New Start Hymns and songs)
Help us accept each other (Rejoice and Sing)
Lord of all good, our gifts we bring to Thee (Rejoice and Sing)
I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart (Mission Praise)
In heavenly love abiding (Hymns and Psalms; Mission Praise) Jubilate Deo (Taize) Rejoice in God (Taize)
Lord bring the day to pass (Hymns and Psalms)
Nada te turbe Let nothing trouble you (Taize)
Now join we to praise the creator (Hymns and Psalms)
Praise and thanksgiving, Father, we offer (Hymns and Psalms)Praise God for the harvest of farm and of field (Hymns and Psalms)
The day of the Lord shall come (Wild Goose. Rejoice and Sing)
Think of a world without any flowers (most recent)
We give thee but thine own (most)
You shall go out with joy (most recent)

and Particularly for Eucharistic Worship :

Bread of heaven, on thee we feed (most)
Father we give you thanks, who planted (Hymns and Psalms; Rejoice and Sing)
I hunger and I thirst (Hymns and Psalms-, Rejoice and Sing) The Son of God proclaim (Rejoice and Sing)